


Of Minish And Men

by Seeking7



Series: Gift Fics 💖 [4]
Category: Linked Universe - Fandom, The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms
Genre: Angst, Bunny Legend, Existential crisis time! :D, Fairy Hyrule, Fluff, Four and Hyrule become besties and Legend gets jealous, Four even more so, Linked Universe (Legend of Zelda), Minish Four, Sad boys bonding, Twilight is much wiser than he lets on, midnight thoughts, serious conversations, way more moon symbolism than necessary
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-01
Updated: 2020-07-21
Packaged: 2021-03-04 19:00:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,220
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25011271
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Seeking7/pseuds/Seeking7
Summary: Hyrule feels like a stranger in his own skin.Four understands completely.(aka Minish Four, Fairy Hyrule, and Bunny Legend bonding fluff!)
Relationships: Four & Hyrule (Linked Universe), Hyrule & Legend (Linked Universe)
Series: Gift Fics 💖 [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1911241
Comments: 54
Kudos: 249





	1. Moondust and Mental Misgivings

**Author's Note:**

  * For [SilverDragonMS](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilverDragonMS/gifts).



> For Silver. 
> 
> You're incredible. 
> 
> (note: the earlier mess-up with me confusing the purple element with wind and the green element with earth has been fixed! shout out to the fantastic guest commenter who let me know in the most gentle way possible about this mistake, I appreciate it!! :D)

There was no reason Hyrule should be awake right now.

He absently rubbed the corner of his blanket between his fingers, picking at the fine white threads and willing himself to fall asleep. There was nothing to be afraid of. There was nothing to worry about. His gaze flickered up from his fingers to the small, Four-sized room seven of the other Links were crammed into. Wind and Twilight were sleeping in make-shift hammocks strung from the ceiling, Warriors, Time, and Wild were snoring comfortably on a few spare mattresses Four's grandfather had found on sale earlier that day, and Sky was a slumbering lump in the middle of the floor. That left him and Legend, who, after the cuts and bruises they'd gotten when the portal to Four's Hyrule dumped them in a scrap metal junkyard, were given the honor (and command) to sleep in Four's own bed. It was much larger than either of them had expected, and much softer, too, so why wasn't he asleep? He tossed uncomfortably in his bed and faced Legend, who was so soundly asleep he might have been dead to the world. Dusty hazel eyes searched Legend's angular face for any hint of emotional purchase. The pale skin didn't have so much as a crinkle in it; Legend's sleep must have been dreamless and thoughtless as it was refreshing. A flicker of jealousy skirted under Hyrule’s skin.

Why couldn’t he fall asleep? 

Perhaps it was the bed itself. He wasn't used to them. Maybe...maybe if he slept on the floor? Hyrule slid out of the bed, taking care not to jostle Legend's sleeping form, and padded over to an empty spot next to Sky. The bare skin of his feet shirked away from the cool floorboards beneath. Hyrule ignored the discomfort -- he was very good at that -- and sat down a few paces across from Sky. He drew his knees closer to his chest, resting his temple on the floor and trying, as he always did, to disregard the uncomfortable way the position pinched the nerves in his ears. He shut his eyes tight. Sleep did not come. With eyes still scrunched so hard they sparkled in pain, Hyrule picked apart the mystery at hand. He was now sleeping on a perfectly comfortable bed (the floor), with a full stomach (he had eaten three whole bites of Wild's dinner pancakes, he'd been _that_ hungry), and no nightmares to speak of (except that black, sluggish, rancid thought at the back of his head that said he was a fraud, a fake, a boy playing a game he had no business taking part in).

There was the soprano squeal of metal on metal from the floor below, followed by the hiss of vaporized water and a familiar sounding grunt. Didn't seem like Four had been able to sleep either. He was probably downstairs working at the forge, if the noises meant anything. An idea, half formed and barely put together, bumbled into Hyrule's subconscious and he found himself acting on it before he could really scrutinize it.

With careful, hesitant steps, Hyrule snuck down the stairs and made his way to the foyer, which doubled as a workshop. Four's small, muscular form, outlined by the moonlight, flickered back and forth between two massive quench tanks and an anvil. Hyrule silently congratulated himself on remembering all the terms; Four had given them all an impromptu tour of his Hyrule that day and the forge had perhaps been Hyrule's favorite part. Pressed into the long shadows cast by corners the moonlight didn't dare creep into, the traveler watched Four work. Judging from the fickle flashes of light through the windows, it looked like the smithy had pulled his hair back into a tight, braided bun and swapped out his multi-colored tunic for a knee-length shirt and a waxy apron. Safety, Hryule assumed, Four was always a stickler for safety. The traveler leaned forward a little more, watching as Four slowly eased what looked like a wad of metal in and out of a bed of coals, humming fragments of a familiar song to himself as he did so. The smithy's voice shifted between a comforting, rumbling baritone to the high, mezzo-soprano chime of a child, in tune and time with the hissing of metal on coal. With a grandiose, self-humoring twirl, Four pulled the metal out and held the glowing orange hunk high above his head, smiling as the sparks and embers flew about the room like ill-tempered snowflakes. He set to work on hammering out a vaguely sword-like shape on top of the anvil. Hyrule watched with wide, fascinated eyes. Every detail and movement and swing of the arm was stored at the back of his mind for later review; it was this kind of simple, domestic work that Hyrule fixated himself on when the acid burn of self-hatred grew too much to bear.

Four, apparently having had hammered the metal out into a form he was happy with, turned to dunk it in the quenching tank. One fluid movement, and the red-hot brick forsook its coat of air for that of water. Curiously, there were no flames. Didn't Four say before that if there were no flames during quenching something must have gone wrong? Judging from the disgruntled huff Four gave and the way he pulled out the half-forged sword with all the flare and fanfare of one taking out the trash, Hyrule assumed this was most likely the case. The smithy half-heartedly placed the cooled metal on the anvil and peeled off his gloves, glaring at the floor as he did so. He wasn’t humming anymore. Moonlight shone on Four's long eyelashes, turning the tips white and spilling inky shadows across the lower parts of his face. There was a strained look on the smithy's face and a fold in his lower lip that suggested he was absent-mindedly chewing on it. Hyrule knew that look very well, he'd seen it on his own wan, sallow visage every time he stopped to chat with his reflection. It hurt him too much to see it on someone else.

"Four?" Hyrule questioned as he stepped out of the shadow. Wide, blue eyes settled on the traveler's form, and the tension strung across the muscles in Four's back dissipated upon recognition. Hyrule opened his mouth to say something else, realizing too late that he'd run out of words.

"Oh, I didn't see you," Four began. "Can't sleep, huh?" Now that the smithy was facing him, Hyrule could appreciate just how weird it was that his hair was pulled back; he’d never seen this much of Four's face at once. The traveler snapped himself out of his idle thoughts and nodded curtly, half-tempted to draw back into the shadows for a reason he couldn't really explain. "Would you like to take a seat?" Four questioned, gesturing to the small table and set of chairs they'd had to carry down from his room in order to make space for all the Links. Hyrule nodded and fiddled awkwardly with the collar of his thick, cotton gown. Not his, he thought as he took a seat, Legend's. The ill-tempered hero hadn't been amused when Hyrule confessed that he didn't own a pair of "pajamas" ("Why would I buy clothes just to sleep in them?" the traveler had protested). Now Legend handed Hyrule a long sleeping robe every night and wouldn’t let the traveler go to sleep until he’d put it on. 

To be frank, Hyrule hated the arrangement. He didn't like how the soft cloth felt on his body, or how Legend wasted so much time restitching the seams to better fit him, or how the other heros smiled as they watched. It felt… 

The tight, hard look on his face must have betrayed his thoughts, because the soft expression on Four's face crystalized into intense curiosity.

"Are you alright?" Four asked as he took a seat across from Hyrule. Moonlight puddled onto the table, and Hyrule eased his fingers into it as he mumbled in the affirmative. There was no warmth or comfort in the light. As it should be. Moonlight was only a reflection of something far greater. On its own, it held no beauty.

He felt a deep, aching camaraderie with the moon.

"Hyrule," Four spoke up again, "what's on your mind?" Hyrule looked up, eyes black and furious, and flinched when he saw the confused look on Four's face.

"...m'sorry. I'm not mad. I mean, I am mad...but, I'm not...I'm not mad at you. I'm just, just..." Hyrule's eyes wandered back up at the moon. "Just thinking."

"Yeah? What would you say if we think outside?"

"Mmmmm," Hyrule responded thoughtlessly.

"Here," Four began, scooting backward out of his chair and standing up. "I'm going to go change real fast. You want somethin' a little better suited for a nighttime stroll, or are you good?"

"Huh? Stroll? Um, yes. Yes, please."

"Yes to the walk or yes to the change of clothes?" Four teased as he pulled off his apron and hung it on a nail sticking out of the wall, feet poised for a quick dash up the stairs.

"Both, please, sir."

If Four noticed the mindless formality at the end of the sentence, he had no outward reaction. Hyrule cringed inwardly as Four ran up the stairs and returned almost instantly, now wearing an ordinary set of walking clothes. He extended a neatly folded set of shirts, pants and boots to Hyrule, which the latter slid on his person with ease.

"Where are we going?" Hyrule asked as the two stepped outside. A wet breeze skittered over the dewey grass and muffled his words.

"We'll see where our feet take us."

"Sounds like something I'd say."

Four grinned at this statement and pressed a hand to the small of Hyrule's back, guiding the taller hero through the hard, gray walkway of the town and out towards the open woods. They walked on comfortably, eyes-half closed, relishing the cool air and the crisp, sweet aftertaste of rain. Hyrule didn't notice the quiet, calculating eyes searching his face. When Four suddenly spoke up again, he nearly jolted out of his skin.

"You know, Hyrule, we don't spend a lot of time together. I'd like to get to know you better, I'd like it a lot, actually, but I don't want to pressure you into talking about feelings you may not be comfortable sharing with me. Legend's usually your go-to person for that kind of thing, right?"

These weren't the words Hyrule was expecting. He'd already steeled himself for some form of insistent prodding, perhaps a threat that their walk wouldn't end unless the thoughts in Hyrule's head were squeezed out of him. This soft, unexpected, almost shy approach caught him by the ear and twinged a nerve deep in his chest. He blinked quickly and turned his face away, busying his eyes in the swaying carpet of grass underneath his feet.

"I, uh, I'd like to know you better, too,” Hyrule began. “And don't worry. About the comfortable-ness thing. I don't tell Legend anything. Well, I tell him some things. But not everything. You know?" 

"Why not?" Four mused. The smithy was just as no-nonsense in conversation as he was in combat. 

"He's my hero," Hyrule recited. There was a deadpan echo to his voice, like a child mindlessly regurgitating a formula they knew but didn’t understand. 

Four opened and closed his mouth, swallowing whatever words were effervescing to the tip of his tongue. His eyes shifted to the gray stone path they were walking on. In a sudden, impulsive fit, Four grabbed Hyrule's forearm and veered off the path. 

"Where are we going?"

"A place I'll think you'll like."

The forest hummed. Something chimed in the distance. The twinkle of dewdrops on flat, broad-chested leaves echoed in the air. A stream mumbled in the distance, and the ground underneath their feet grew brown, dark, and soft. It seemed like they were walking on a path that had few travelers -- judging from the array of dusty roots that weaved in and out of the ground, the aforementioned travelers had no interest in impressing a memory of their passage on the forest floor. Hyrule found the tension in his chest unbundling itself. He breathed in heavily, swallowing the virgin forest air with the greediness of a dying man. It tasted sweet.

"Do you ever feel like you're both nobody and a hundred people at once?" Hyrule blurted out.

There was a searing hot silence, and Four's eyelids drew back harshly. 

"Sorry, that was a dumb thing to say," the traveler quickly mumbled.

"No, no. No, it wasn't." Four looked at Hyrule, a sharp, bright sorrow in his eyes. It didn't look like the slow, foggy pity he'd received from Time and Twilight and Legend. It looked like...

It looked like understanding.

A stinging, articulate understanding born only from suffering. The smithy’s eyes seemed almost purple in the dim light, and a soft smile pushed at the corner of his lips. Words were lost on them both. The mist grew thicker, and the two heroes walked along cold, wet patches of crumbled dirt and ambled aimlessly through the forest’s woody ribcage. Hyrule idly scratched a mosquito bite on his arm and was almost relieved when it popped and released a small rivulet of blood. 

“You know, if it’s any consolation, I often feel that way, too,” Four said. 

“Really?” Hyrule questioned, jaw tight. “I can’t say I believe you.” 

Four chuckled. Hyrule smiled awkwardly to himself. 

“Is there something in me that inspires suspicion, Traveler?” 

“Oh, no. No, no, not at all, that’s not what I meant at all. It’s just that, well, you’ve always struck me as a very well-put together person.” 

“Who, me?” Four smiled brightly. “That’s a compliment I don’t deserve. But in all honesty, Hyrule, please trust me when I say I know what you’re going through.” 

The air reeked of secrets as the two walked into a small, empty clearing only populated by a smattering of flora and a fat tree stump. Four took a seat and patted the spot next to him, an invitation to sit down which Hyrule gladly took. Both their minds were loud with thoughts and worries; engrossed in the eternal balancing game between what to say and what not to say. They sat in silence for a quarter of eternity before Four spoke up again. 

“Can I show you something?” The smithy suddenly asked. 

“Oh,” Hyrule sputtered, peeling his chin away from the cradle of his palm. “Yeah, sure.” 

The traveler watched with veiled curiosity as the smithy withdrew four small stones from his pocket. They sparkled flamboyantly in the palm of his hand. Hyrule noted to himself that each stone matched one of the patches on Four’s multicolored tunic, and the creeping suspicion that he was about to be let into some deep corner of the smithy’s mind tickled the back of his neck. 

“What are these?” Hyrule asked.

“Just some stones. A while back, I was out with some...well, I guess the best way to describe them are friends. We made these together. I keep them with me all the time -- believe it or not, I’m just as much of a hoarder as Legend.” Four snickered at his own joke and Hyrule couldn’t stop himself from doing the same. “Anyway, each one represents an element. The red one is fire, the blue one is water, the purple one is earth, and the green one is wind. Do you see the little engravings there?” Four pointed a fingernail to the tiny elemental engravings on each stone, and Hyrule nodded his head. “Even though they’re supposed to represent something greater than myself, I like to think that each stone represents--” 

“--a part of yourself,” Hyrule finished. 

Four’s eyes went wide, then softened. The more time Hyrule spent with him, the more he noticed the world-weary gentleness in the smithy’s eyes. He was one of the youngest heroes, but he carried a nameless burden with him that clearly instilled him with great wisdom. Hyrule was about to apologize for his interruption when Four continued on. 

“You’re just as sharp as Legend says you are,” Four said with a grin. Hyrule blushed, and Four laughed again. “Yes, yes, you’re totally right. It is a bit silly, though, isn’t it?” 

“I don’t think it’s silly,” Hyrule interjected. “Please, go on. I think I have something to learn here.” 

Four’s eyebrows flickered upwards, and that same soft, sad smile came back on his face. “If you insist. I’ll start with blue, or water. You see, oftentimes we view water as calm and collected. But the seas are so temperamental, and I like to think that the bluish, sarcastic, emotional part of myself is the same. If he was his own person, he would certainly be noisy, brash, and loyal. Probably a bit abrasive as well. Not fun to be around, I would bet, but an irreplaceable part of the team. Green, or wind, is the high-energy, optimistic. Just like the element, this part of me is careful and quick, perhaps a bit too much so. Whenever I’m having trouble getting past little grudges or seeing the big picture or can’t bring myself to give up, I know it's this part of me that's to blame. This is probably the most heroic part of me,” Four said sorrowfully. His eyes clouded for a moment, and then he shook his head. “Now, this one,” the smithy explained as he shuffled the red stone in his palm, “represents innocence and sincerity. I know, not the first thing you think of when you see fire, huh? But in the same way that fire burns and destroys, it also brings safety and light. ‘Red’ would be the manifestation of all my childish impulses and hopes and dreams.” 

Hyrule let out a soft exhale. 

“You talk about yourself as if you’ve met each of your different parts.” 

For some reason, this earned a hearty laugh from the smithy. 

“In a way, perhaps. That’s an interesting way to put it.” 

“You know, you didn’t tell me about the purple one,” Hyrule said.

“Ah, yes,” Four remarked with a reserved smile. “Violet. Son of the Earth. That’s the part of me I like to think as the double-double crosser, the smartest of them all, seemingly as stoic and boring as his element but far more cunning than one would initially give him credit for.” Four’s prose was almost as purple as the stone he held in his hand, and Hyrule’s head spun from the elaborate and wistful description. The muscles in Four’s hands bunched up as he closed his fists and hid the little stones in fragmented shadows. “All together, they make me. Each piece is a fragment of who I am and so much more at the same time. Perhaps you should think of yourself in a similar way.” The stones slipped back in Four’s pocket, and the smithy’s dark, cunning gaze settled back on Hyrule’s face. The former’s gaze was soft and contemplative, as if searching for something. 

“I don’t know how to start,” Hyrule explained. 

“Well, tell me who you are. Or who you feel you are.” 

Hyrule sighed and stared at a far-off patch of grass. "I...I don't really know. Sometimes I feel like a hero. Like when we're all fighting together. I feel like a hero, I feel...big. Important. But sometimes I'm by myself, and I wonder what I've done to deserve that...bigness. Ugh, ignore what I just said. It's stupid."

"It's not stupid. Go on, I'm listening."

“...sorry.” 

“Sorry for what? Please, go on. I want to hear what you have to say.” 

Those last words struck a chord. Hyrule’s eyes wandered up to the sky, staring at the tiny, faint pinpricks of light above. His words fell out of his mouth, raw and thick with shame. 

"Sometimes, I just feel like a little boy playing pretend. That's, that's usually when I'm alone. And when I'm with people, when I'm helping people, I feel small, but in a good way. Like I'm part of something important and beautiful and like it wouldn't work without me. But sometimes I get mad at people -- I get mad at Legend when he doesn't listen to me, or Warriors when he talks too loud, or sometimes even Sky. And there isn't always a reason. Sometimes I'm just mad. And then I ask myself, you know, how...how can you call yourself a big and important hero when you're just, uh, bad? Just, just…” 

Hyrule's voice had started to tighten and raise, and the sharp echo of his words on gnarled tree trunks put an anxious blush on his face. He looked at Four, acutely aware that he'd said too much. 

"Sorry if I talked too much. I’m not doing this right." Hyrule whispered. 

“Don’t worry, it’s fine. Keep going."

"Uh..." an idea, delicate and unborn, sparkled within Hyrule's chest. The traveler glanced at Four, searching for nothing and finding nothing, and turned to himself. Somehow, the cords that felt like they were always tied around his mouth and neck and heart had fallen away. "You know, there's this spell I use to turn into a fairy."

"Really?" Four's face was alight with fascination. A bright sheaf of hair fell out of his bun as he suddenly turned his head towards the traveler.

"Yeah. And when I'm a fairy, I feel, uh, what's the word that Time uses all the time? Clever. I feel very clever. I can get to all these small places, through doors and things like that, without needing a key. It feels like cheating, but not like the kind of cheating Wars always does whenever we have those archery competitions. It's like...being smarter than the system or something like that. I feel like...” Hyrule’s jaw worked as he searched for the words, “I feel like Flora." 

Four snickered, and his eyes gleamed with relief. Whatever he’d evidently been looking for in Hyrule’s voice and testimony, he had clearly found. A leather heel ground itself in the wet dirt, and Four pulled himself onto it. Floor-level mist darkened the leather of his boots. 

“Please, step off the tree trunk,” Four said. Hyrule, red from embarrassment and confusion, immediately did as instructed and forced back an awkward wave of platitudes. The gnarled wood creaked angrily as Four hopped onto the very spot the traveler had just got off, and the confused look on Hyrule’s face only grew more pronounced. 

Innumerable concentric circles fanned out from the trunk’s core -- the last remnant of the fallen tree’s glory. They puddled like ripples around Four’s small boots. 

The blank look on Hyrule’s face asked his question for him. 

“There’s something I want to show you,” Four explained. “I’ve been thinking about it for a long time, and I think you’re the right person.” 

“The right person for what?” 

A flicker of cerulean and crimson spun around Four’s pupils. The smithy grinned even wider and his eyebrows climbed mischievously into his hairline. 

“You’ll see. You still remember that fairy spell?” 

“Yeah, but what does this have to do with anything?” 

“Again, you’ll see. I’m going to count down from three, and then I want you to turn into a fairy.” 

Hyrule’s eyebrows pressed together in an inverted V, and he tried not to let his confusion show too much. His mind mulled over the proposition. While he didn’t exactly know Four, not in a personal or companionable way, anyway, the deal didn’t smell underhanded. And judging from the childish, friendly look creased in the smithy’s smile, it seemed that his judgement was some flavor of correct. The traveler gave a resolute nod and took a few steps back, closing his eyes and drawing on his magic reserves. 

“3...2...1! Go!” 

An oily tsunami of magic poured from Hyrule’s core, and he felt his body blink out of existence and instantly reform. A billowing miasma of smoke burst around him -- probably a side-effect of using such a potent spell in a place as humid as this forest -- and Hyrule coughed pitifully as he adjusted to his new form. The cloth of a little dress tickled the tops of his knees and long, brown hair brushed his shoulders. Translucent wings, as thin and delicate as jewelry wrap, fluttered behind him and held him aloft in the air. He blinked quickly, vision still muddy from the transformation, and brushed a few stray locks of hair out of his eyes. Hyrule had almost forgotten that his fairy body was decidedly more feminine than his ‘normal’ body; he’d submitted to the fact that the change would be jarring no matter how often he performed the spell. His vision began to clear in small increments, and he shuddered to himself when a hot realization hit him. 

Where was Four? 

Hyrule scanned the area around him and found nothing. He alighted on the tree stump and padded curiously across its ancient surface, flinching when an ant the size of his torso scurried a little too close for comfort. 

“Over here!” A familiar voice cried. Hyrule turned around to be greeted by a tiny, lean figure that looked suspiciously like Four. Hyrule blinked in disbelief and found himself fluttering over to the eerily familiar stranger. 

“Four? Is that you?” 

The figure gave a smile that was unmistakably Fours’. As good an answer as any. 

“What, do you think you’re the only one with transformative tricks up your sleeve?” Four asked. 

“How did you do that?” 

“A bunch of old friends taught me. I was just about to go visit them now, would you like to come?” 

Hyrule found himself grinning and nodding like a madman. 

There is a peculiar camaraderie that comes with a secret shared, a sort of twisted, tender brotherhood that comes to light when rotted skeletons are pulled out of the closet. Hyrule and Four knew that this bond had formed between them the instant they stepped foot into Minish Village. The two quiet, careful heroes were met by a host of tiny people who, by all logic and reason, should be asleep or at least irritated by their sudden arrival. To the traveler’s surprise, it seemed like this was as far from the case as one could get. The Minish welcomed them with enthusiasm and shouts of acclamation neither Four nor Hyrule felt they deserved, but secretly enjoyed. 

As so marked the birth of an iron-clad friendship. 

Dark puddles ripped under the breeze of Hyrule’s wings as the traveler and smithy got involved in a particularly intense game of tag with some Minish youths. Laughter echoed off the walls of tiny houses as Four and Hyrule entertained a tri-generational family with exaggerated stories of their heroic escapades; the sky darkened with a trickle of smoke as a Minish housewife cooked and supplied the fairy and his tiny companion with more pastries than was reasonable to eat at half-past midnight. As the night waned on, the two heroes found themselves lounging on a rooftop trading sarcastic quips and friendly insults, reveling in the feeling of finally finding a confidant. Hyrule found himself entranced by the snarky, clever side of the smithy that came out when they played checkers against a particularly mischievous groups of Minish teenagers, and the traveler’s unequaled agility continued to astonish Four when the two heroes decided to spar for the delight and entertainment of an old couple. 

The two heroes arrived back at Four’s house only after a dusty smear of yellow appeared on the horizon. Their bodies ached with the aftermath of an entire night of childish shenanigans, but their spirits were temporarily unburdened with the guilt they routinely carried around with them. 

The moon watched the pair with a white, grieving smile as it faded in the morning light. 


	2. Boxing and Flower Crowns

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Four and Hyrule have grown close. 
> 
> Legend is jealous.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Back with the second and final chapter! I hope you enjoy (especially you, Silver!). This one was a bit of a challenge for me in regards to characterization, so massive shout out to Fishy, Purple, Attic, El, Glau, and Train over on the LU Discord for all the advice and tips they gave in regards to making the dialogue and descriptions better. If you like this chapter, just know that it wouldn't have been this way without their input!

"Those two are getting along, huh?" Twilight said, eyes trained on the friendly sword fight between Hyrule and Four. Legend nodded as the rancher took a seat next to him on the smithy's porch and watched as the sun slipped below the horizon. The sky had begun to fade from blue to yellow to crimson, and the friendly clanging of Four's sword on Hyrule's was just another sound in the evening cacophony. Legend scratched a bug bite on his neck, eyes drifting lazily over the scene.

"I guess. It's sort of strange, though," Legend mused. The two seated heroes watched as Four and Hyrule set their swords down and started to practice some sort of improvised hand-to-hand combat. Their silhouettes twisted and turned in the fading light, ducking and twisting and flipping to avoid the other's punches. 

"What do you mean by strange?" Twilight said.

"I don't really know. I never thought that they were friends." The confused look on Twilight's face prompted Legend to explain more, which he did with a sigh. "We've only been in Four's Hyrule for, what, three days? My próté--I mean, Hyrule, never really spoke to the smithy before we came here. But now they act like they've known each other their entire lives."

Twilight hummed thoughtfully as he leaned back onto his hands. Four's small village thrummed with activity: children ran up and down the streets, women brought in clothes that had been hung out to dry, and the men shouted greetings to each other as they carried in firewood for the night. Four and Hyrule's informal boxing match had garnered the attention of a handful of toddlers and teenagers, who clustered around them like curious birds.

"C'mon, Link! You gotta keep your elbows up," a ruddy-faced farm boy exclaimed. Four grinned from the encouragement, obligingly rolling back his shoulders and pulling up his elbows. The boys screamed in excitement as Four delivered a clean right hook to Hyrule's side. The traveler didn't even flinch, only smiling wider as he dodged the following barrage of punches and swings.

"Mr. Brownhair," a little girl exclaimed, her thumb wrinkled from sucking on it for the duration of the impromptu sparring session. "Put your weight in your toes. You're clunky!"

"Don't listen to her, Mr. Link's friend! Focus on your core, not on your feet!"

"Ignore them both! If you wanna win, you gotta breathe deeply. Punch with the energy from each breath, not with your muscles," a dark-skinned teenager supplied, his advice directed to neither combatant in particular.

Twilight and Legend watched the scene in front of them in silence. A lazy, satisfied smile had made its way onto the rancher's face, while Legend's stared on with an air of indifference.

"It might be a little strange," Twilight finally said, "but it's good that they both have friends in the group."

Words evaded Legend, but a creeping sense of distaste with the statement fizzled under his skin. His jaw worked in protest, immediately snapping shut at the sound of the porch floorboards creaking behind him.

"May I join you, gentlemen? If it's not too much trouble, that is," Four's grandfather spoke.

"Of course, Smith," Twilight obliged, sliding across the porch until his shoulders pressed against Legend's. He tapped the generous space beside him in invitation, and the old man sat down with a huff. Legend quietly thought to himself how strange it was that Twilight and Four's Grandfather were already on a first-name basis, but considering how gruff and careful and quiet both men were, it really shouldn't have been a surprise how quickly they became friends.

Everyone's attention slowly drifted back to the sparring teenagers in front of them. The sky had darkened considerably after the sun had set, but a few children had retrieved lanterns from their houses and hung it up in the clearing. Doing so ensured the friendly fight could persist even after sundown. As long as there was light and a few responsible adults meandering in the square, the children were guaranteed this rare form of entertainment for at least another half hour.

"You know," Smith began, "I'm so glad that Link has taken to Hyrule." Withered lips pricked upwards at the mention of the traveler's unusual nickname. "It's a strange name, I must confess, but I can't deny that the two get along beautifully. Link's always been a bit lonely."

"Really?" Twilight questioned. "I'm surprised. He's such a friendly person. Easy to talk too, as well."

"That's the thing," Four's grandfather said. His fingers laced through the knots in his beard as he thought. "Link doesn't talk often. Hardly at all, actually. The only time I really hear his voice is when he's talking to himself in the forge. He does that a lot. Ever since he came back from that second adventure of his, it's become a habit. Always thinking and talking to himself. The only person his age he used to consider his friend was Princess Zelda."

"Used to consider?" Legend piped up, focus reignited.

"They're still friends, of course," Four's grandfather said. "They used to see each other every day before Link started his third adventure with you all. But there's a distance that grows between people that hold too many secrets. They still chat, but not about anything meaningful. Platitude after platitude. It would be silly to assume they don't enjoy each other's company, but they don't necessarily benefit from it, either." The old man's eyes were dark. His words were surprisingly articulate for a man who spent all day laboring at the forge, betraying that he had spent countless hours musing over the situation. 

"Does this worry you?" Twilight asked, his question nearly blotted out by the squeals that resounded in the clearing when Four and Hyrule conceded to the children's request for one more round of boxing.

"It used to. It used to worry me a lot. It's alright to have secrets, but not for very long. But seeing Link and Hyrule together..." his voice trailed off as his eyes drifted to the boxing match in the clearing. Both boys were bruised and panting, but their punches flew with almost choreographed grace. None of the men sitting on the porch thought they had ever seen the two teenagers with such brilliant grins on their faces.

"They've clicked," Twilight said.

"Exactly," Smith replied, head bobbing in agreement. Legend watched with faint amusement as Hyrule's fist connected with the underside of Four's jaw and sent the smithy reeling backward. The punch hadn't been hard, none of them were, and all of their reactions had been played up for the entertainment of the children watching. But there was a glint of friendly competition in Hyrule's eyes that Legend had never seen before.

The veteran laced his fingers together and pressed his heels into the dirt. There was something about the new dynamic between Four and Hyrule that sat in Legend's stomach like bad milk. It wasn't suspicion, it wasn't anger, it was...

Twilight placed a hand on Legend's shoulder and lowered his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "You look a little bit jealous, Mr. High and Mighty Veteran."

Legend rolled his eyes and shrugged Twilight's hand away, taking care to keep his expression neutral. 

"You know," Twilight began, "if you want someone to beat you up, I think the Captain would be happy to do so."

Not even a ripple of mirth broke the surface of Legend's blank face. His eyes remained trained on Four and Hyrule. They had seemingly traded the last blows of the night and were busy high-fiving the boys who came up to congratulate them and hugging the little girls who bashfully presented them with flowers. A few giggles wafted out of the clearing. Legend assumed that was because Hyrule had introduced himself to the slowly dispersing crowd with the nickname the other heroes had given him.

"I'm going to head on inside," Four's grandfather said as he pulled himself to his feet. "Dinner should be ready in a few minutes. I'll let you all know as soon as it's ready."

"Do you need any help?" Legend asked.

"Thank you, but I'll be alright. You all deserve a rest after spending all day killing those horrid monsters. Consider dinner my small way of expressing my thanks for making the local woods inhabitable again." Legend and Twilight smiled and waved as the old man walked back inside the house.

"Are you alright?" Twilight asked as soon as the front door had closed. "You look like something's bothering you."

"What tells you that?"

"Well, you have your hand on your chin, and you're staring at Four and Hyrule the same way I would stare at manure stuck to my shoe."

Legend's eyes widened in surprise, and he lifted his chin from the palm of his hand. Huh. His calm, stoic exterior had been much easier to see through than he initially thought.

"Do you really think Hyrule was lonely before he made friends with Four?" Legend blurted out.

Twilight chewed on his lips. He seemed to already have an answer, but the way his eyes darted back and forth between Hyrule and Legend bespoke to some nameless, internal misgivings. The rancher let out a sigh before he finally spoke.

"Perhaps lonely is a little bit of a strong way to put it. I don't think he felt isolated or unwanted. He's pretty friendly with Wild and doesn't seem to be uncomfortable around anyone. Maybe he just has more in common with Four than we know, and that's why they were able to become friends so easily."

Legend opened his mouth to speak, his mouth already downturned in disagreement, but the call to dinner cut off his train of thought. Twilight gave Legend a friendly pat on the back before standing up. Four and Hyrule waved their last goodbyes to the few children still standing in the square and sprinted to the house.

"Did you see us, Legend?" Four asked as he and Hyrule stepped up onto the porch. The veteran nodded, remembering at the last minute to uncross his arms and uncinch his eyebrows.

"Hey, Legend, watch this!" Hyrule exclaimed. The traveler wrapped his arms around Four and swung the protesting smithy over one shoulder. Four laughed brightly as Hyrule carried him over the porch threshold and sat him down at the dinner table, shaking his head in exaggerated distaste all the while. The laughter inside suggested that the lighthearted, brotherly display had been well received by the crowd milling around the dinner table.

Legend stood alone on the porch, watching the fireflies flit about in the dusky silence, and guiltily wished he was Four. 

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

There are few things louder than a lonely heart in the middle of the night.

Legend lay on his bedroll with his back to the wall, barely registering the other Links' soft breathing. Dinner had dragged on for hours, thriving off the endless stories Smith told and Hyrule's excruciatingly detailed account of his boxing match with Four. Even though the veteran had excused himself to bed early, he was still awake when the clock tower chimed midnight.

He stared at the hexagonal folds of skin around his knuckles and the jagged edges of his nails.

It was strange to feel this way. He had felt this from time to time, the nameless longing for a sincere smile, a gentle hug, the sound of someone calling his name with a smile in their voice. As the years had slipped between his fingers, it had grown easier and easier to ignore, like an infected wound doused in anesthetic and bundled in linen.

He forced his eyes shut. His mind grew louder.

Was Hyrule lonely too? Wasn't he friends with Wild? Wasn't he friends with all of them? What about that time that Legend had taught him how to play the harp? Had he felt lonely then? And the time that Legend had let him borrow his Pegasus Boots -- what about that? How about the Time taught Hyrule how to do a backflip? Or when Legend had sown a set of pajamas for him? 

What did Legend do wrong that Four did right? 

Legend analyzed all his memories of Four and Hyrule over the past three days. The way they fell asleep side-by-side at breakfast that morning. And yesterday. And the day before. How Four would occasionally lean in to whisper something in Hyrule's ear, a fragment of a word, a phrase, something Legend could only assume to be an inside joke. The way the traveler turned red with held-in laughter and piled on the gag like two children building sandcastles on the beach. And the headband, there was the headband Four had given Hyrule that the traveler wore like a badge of honor. And the leather gloves Hyrule had given the smithy in return. Legend absently rubbed his forehead and looked at his bare hands.

His heart grew bitter.

His legs grew restless.

He needed to go. Go somewhere. Go anywhere.

Legend pulled himself to his feet and stepped carefully over the sleeping Links spread across the floor. Wind was curled up between Warriors and Sky, wholly cocooned in a patchwork quilt that had clearly been meant to be used by all three. Wild slept in the space between Twilight's arm and chest. Time snored loudly a few feet off, the muscles in his face slack with contentment. Four and Hyrule were missing. 

Legend pretended he didn't notice as he changed out of his pajamas and into his tunic and boots. His eyes drifted to the window by Four's empty bed and stared blankly at the expanse of forest outside. Green twigs shivered in the midnight breeze, and long-eared rabbits flickered in and out of the grass. His eyes lingered on them.

An idea sparkled to life.

With careful, calculated footsteps, Legend padded his way over to Twilight's side. His fingers dipped under the necklace around the rancher's neck and slipped it off with expertise honed by years of practice. A shard of crystallized midnight dangled in the middle, laced with red and sparkling like obsidian. Legend draped the necklace over his own neck and crept down the stairs.

Every room in the house was empty. Four and Hyrule were nowhere to be found. Legend told himself he didn't care as he closed the front door behind him and wandered aimlessly through town.

It was only after he was sure he had completely lost himself in the woods that Legend let his fingers drift to the crystal dangling from the necklace. 

The wind whistled overhead as Legend's shadow morphed from man to rabbit.

He tucked the necklace into his tiny tunic and dashed through the underbrush. 

Branches snagged on his fur and scratched his skin. An icy coolness rose from the damp ground like mist, weaving its way into Legend's bones. Waterdrops slid off the foliage above and twinkled as they hit the ground. Owls cooed overhead, and the whistle of a forgotten wind-chime echoed in the distance. His paws swiped at the ground until his fur grew hot from the exertion, and his limbs ached with weariness.

A familiar veneer of pain and exhaustion clouded his mind. Legend smiled internally.

This was far better.

Loneliness forgotten, Legend crawled into a fallen log and curled up to sleep. The orderly line of ants marching over the rotted wood kept a respectful distance from him. A centipede nodded in acknowledgment as it skittered by. Legend's heartbeat slowed as his awareness slipped away.

"No, it's okay, I can carry it myself."

Legend's ears pricked at the strangely familiar sound.

"Are you sure? Those hibiscuses look pretty heavy."

Legend's eyes widened. He stared intently at the opposite end of the log, hoping that the owners of the two eerily familiar voices would make themselves known sooner rather than later. The seconds crawled by as the pitter-patter of tiny footsteps grew louder. Legend rubbed his nose as the air grew thick with the smell of flowers.

Two small silhouettes emerged from the mist, backlighted by the moon. If the scant light wasn't pulling tricks on him, the veteran would have dared to say a thumb-sized Hylian and tiny fairy were carrying bundles of grass and hibiscuses above their heads. He blinked quickly and settled his head back into his paws. Just mind tricks. Those had a tendency to grow more and more frequent the longer he stayed awake.

"Woah, check this out!" a familiar voice --  _ where  _ had he heard that voice before? -- said. Legend peered over his paws and almost yelped at the sight in front of him.

A tiny Four stood right in front of him, a bundle of grass tucked under his arm and his other hand reaching out to pat Legend's nose. Instantly realizing the situation would grow exponentially worse if he blew his cover, Legend allowed Four to rub his nose and take a seat next to him. The fairy followed close behind, straining under the weight of at least twelve hibiscuses.

"Wow, what's that?" the fairy said, peering out from behind the bundle of flowers.

"A rabbit," Four supplied. "He looks friendly, arent'cha, bud?" His hand scratched a patch of fur behind Legend's ears. The veteran tried not to lean into Four's touch and kept his movements as lethargic as possible. 

The fairy set the flowers down and gave the rabbit a tentative hug. Legend stiffened at first, stiffening further when he recognized the familiar scent of dirt and magic.

Hyrule.

The fairy was Hyrule.

"Oh, I don't think he likes me very much," Fairy Hyrule said, casting an anxious glance at the dark look on the rabbit's face. It was then that Legend realized he had recoiled from Hyrule's touch and had pressed his back up against the wood behind him.

"Don't be afraid of Hyrule, Mr. Rabbit," Four said. "We're not going to bother you. And if you want to sleep, we'll be sure to keep our voices down." Legend sat back down and placed his fuzzy face back on top of his paws, eyes clouded with confusion. "Look," Four explained, pointing to the flowers and blades of grass Hyrule had set out. "All we're going to do is make a flower crown for our friend. It's simple, quiet work. Minish's honor that we won't keep you up with our chattering."

Legend huffed, but the skepticism in his eyes was replaced with soft curiosity. Fairy Hyrule fluttered to his side and, after placing an affectionate boop on the rabbit's nose, began weaving the flower stems together. Four secured the flower stems together with blades of grass, and a vaguely crown-shaped structure began to take place.

"Four?" Fairy Hyrule suddenly said.

"Yeah?"

"I don't think Legend's going to like this."

The rabbit's ears flickered upwards and grazed the top of the log. Four and Hyrule giggled at his sudden attentiveness.

"Our friend here seems to be intrigued," Four finally said. "What do you think, Mr. Rabbit? Look at all the beautiful flowers Hyrule picked out, and how carefully he's weaved them together. Don't you agree that anyone would be honored to receive such a gift, even the snarky Hero of Legend?"

Fairy Hyrule snorted and turned back to the flowers, clearly trying to ignore Four's words.

Legend didn't answer Four's question and felt somewhat relieved when the tiny hero turned his attention away from the rabbit back to the flower crown. The veteran's heart trembled as he watched Fairy Hyrule labor with the flower stems and obsessively smooth the crinkled hibiscus petals. Droplets of moonlight dripped through the overhead cracks in the log, and a chilly breeze whispered above them. Four and Hyrule continued to work, their faces scrunched in concentration. 

The time passed slowly.

"Wow," Four finally said, running his hands through the plush petals and standing up to survey the finished flower crown. "This looks awesome. Doesn't it, Hyrule?"

Hyrule fluttered over to where Four stood, brushing off the pollen clinging to his clothes as he did so.

"I hope Legend likes it," he said at last. There was a worried heaviness in his eyes. Four took in the scene with calculative attentiveness, then winked at the rabbit and tapped Hyrule on the shoulder.

"What's that?" the smithy asked, pointing to a shadowy corner of the log. Hyrule turned his back to Four to get a better view and let out a girlish squeak when Four grabbed him into a hug.

"Hey, no fair!" Hyrule protested. Four's grip only grew tighter, and the fairy sputtered angrily and tried to pry himself out of the smithy's grasp. "Mr. Rabbit! Help me! I can't hug him back! This isn't fair!"

Legend couldn't stop himself from smiling as Hyrule finally turned around in Four's arms and hugged him back. The two stood in each other's arms for a moment, rocking slowly as their minds wandered.

"We're leaving out Mr. Rabbit!" Four suddenly realized. The two turned to their third companion with sincere smiles on their faces, sprinting over to wrap their tiny arms around him. Small hands dug into his fur, and bright eyes stared up into his face. 

Legend blinked quickly as the ache in his heart faded.

It smelled like flowers and fairies and broken-hearted heroes on the path to healing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's a wrap! Hope you enjoyed. Feel free to leave any questions/conundrums/snarks you have down below, I respond to each and every comment I get. 🤍🤍🤍

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed! :D If you've got any thoughts, comments, or critique I'd love to hear it. 
> 
> For all of those who ever feel the same way Hyrule does, just know that it's alright to feel that way. I've tried to project a little bit of my own thoughts and advice through Four for those suffering with similar sense of worthlessness or self-loathing. God bless you all, and know that whatever trial you're enduring now will soon pass. Carry on, soldiers! 
> 
> ALSO: If you've read this far, that means you must like LU fics! That means you should go over to SilverDragonMS's Ao3 page and read some of their stories, I think you'll really enjoy them. ;)


End file.
